Head of a Girl

The year 1900 was marked in Paris by the International Exhibition(Exposition universelle et internationale de Paris). Held from 15 April to 12 November, it was a celebration of the past century’s achievements and the potential for their further development into the next. The official exhibition announcement was made in 1892, the year Mucha began to enjoy moderate success as a book illustrator. The budget for this massive enterprise was finally decided in 1896, and after that the preparations progressed in full swing, in parallel with the growth of Mucha’s artistic reputation. In 1897, Mucha was fully integrated into the Parisian art world with his successful one-man exhibition at the Galerie de la Bodinière followed by a major show at the Salon des Cent.La Plumemagazine dedicated a special issue to this exhibition and Mucha was a ‘hot’ topic within the city’s artistic circle.

1900年，巴黎举办了举世瞩目的万国博览会（即世界博览会）。博览会从4月15日开到11月12日，展示了19世纪的技术成就和20世纪持续发展的潜能。博览会发布正式公告是在1892年，这一年穆夏在插画领域崭露头角。1896年，这场大型活动的预算终于敲定，准备工作随之全面展开，同一时期，穆夏的艺术声誉日隆。1897年，穆夏在布吉尼尔画廊成功举办个人画展，由此完全融入巴黎艺术界，随后又在德斯陈特沙龙举办了大型画展。《羽毛》杂志为沙龙画展出版了一期专刊，穆夏也成了巴黎艺术圈的“焦点”人物。

[2] Over the next two years both Parisian firms and government officials approached Mucha with commissions for projects for the 1900 exposition. The commissions included not only advertising posters and other graphic works, but also the installation of display stands and the design of exhibition halls, which provided him with an opportunity to work with a threedimensional space.

[3] This bust,Head of a Girl(Bronze, silver and parcel gilt, 29cm ×22cm × 10cm, 1900),was commissioned by the famous Parisian perfumer Houbigant for the company’s stand at the International Exhibition in Paris in 1900.

[4] The soft fl oral fragrances of Houbigant perfumes are personified in a meditative young woman, wearing a tall arched crown decorated with gems and silver lilies.

[5] Although the form of this bust was inspired by Renaissance sculpture,Mucha chose to use modern silver and parcel gilding techniques to create striking effects.

[6] At the exhibition, the bust was installed high above a wreath of irises,roses and violets, in the middle of the presentation cases. ■

[2]其后两年，巴黎各家公司和政府官员纷纷来找穆夏为1900年博览会定制作品。委托定制的不仅有广告招贴等平面美术作品，还有展台摆设和展厅设计，这也让他有机会在三维空间施展才能。

[3]半身像《女孩头像》（青铜及白银鎏金雕塑，29厘米×22厘米×10厘米，1900年）是巴黎著名的香水制造商乌比冈委托定制的，摆放在1900年巴黎万国博览会该公司展台上。

[4]穆夏以沉思的年轻女子来表现乌比冈香水的柔和花香，女子头戴高高的拱冠，上饰宝石和银百合。

[5]雕像的样式灵感源自文艺复兴时期的雕塑，但穆夏采用了现代白银鎏金技术，呈现效果令人耳目一新。

[6]博览会上，这座半身像被安置在诸多展品中央，一个由鸢尾花、玫瑰和紫罗兰编制的花环将其高高托起。 □